Postal egg-container.



R. BUCHER.

POSTAL EGG CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-26.1914.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918..

2 SHEETS-SHEET I sir REINHARD BUCI-IER, OF LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

PO STAL EGG-CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 26, 1914. Serial No. 814,371.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, REINHARD BUCHER, ofLakewood, in the county of Ocean, and in the State of New Jersey, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Postal Egg-Containers,and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention relates particularly to shipping packages for eggs, butmore particularly to packages designed for shipping eggs through themails.

It is Well understood that packages which are shipped through the mails,as for eX- ample, by parcels post, are subjected to a considerabledegree of rough handling, and that for this reason, if eggs are to beshipped through the mails they must be contained in packages which maybe subjected to violent shocks at rather frequent intervals withoutdamage.

The object of my invention is to provide an egg container which willtightly maintain the eggs in their places in the container; which willallow a degree of movement of the eggs in every direction; which willelastically support the eggs; and which is adapted to receive eggs ofvarying sizes without any special adjustment of the container. A furtherobject of my. invention is r to provide an egg container of the abovecharacter, wh1ch 1s sufiiciently strong to 'ment in many'difierentforms, for the purwithstand any shocks to which packages sent throughthe mails are subjected.

lVhile my invention is capable of embodipose of illustration I haveshown only one form thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which, I

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a container made in accordance with myinvention; 1

Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the egg baskets in closedposition;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the samein open position, preparatory tointroducing an egg: and,

Fig. 51s a plan view of the parts of the egg basket'in theposition inwhich they are first attached together.

In the drawings; have shown an outer casing having cylrndrical sheli 1,which is closed by a bottom cover 2, the center of which is preferablybowed outwardly. This Patented Oct. 15, 1918. v

cover 2 preferably has upon its inner face an inwardly bowed cushion 3,having a central opemng 4. The cover 1s permanently secured in place inany suitable manner. The

cylindrical shell 1 is also provided with a top cover 5, the center ofwhich is preferably bowed outwardly and having upon its inner face aninwardly bowed cushion,

which is provided with a central opening 7.

Attached to the edge of the top cover 5 there mav be any suitable claming means, but in V the illustrated form of my invention I have shownfor this purpose a plurality of loops 8 through which cords 9 may passand be extended through a plurality of similar loops 10 located on theoutside of the' cylindrical shell 1 and which are passed through andfastened on the inside of the shell 1. Upon the interior of the shell 1,there is a central post 11 having a shoulder 12 near its bottom end anda plurality of slots 13 extending up wardly inthe sides of the post. Thepost is also provided with a longitudinal opening 14, which extendsdownwardly to the same distance as the slots 13. A bottom partition 15having a central opening 16 fits over the I post 11 and is located abovethe shoulder 12. Upon the top of the bottom partition 15 there areprovided a number of individual egg baskets which radiate from thecenter of receive a vertical band 20 which has a notch 21 so as to holdthe band 20 at its center connected to the central portion of the band17. It will be noted that the notch 21 is somewhat wider than theportion of the horizontal band 17 located between the slits i 19 so asto allow of a certain degree of movement of the band 20 vertically withregard to the band 17. The length of the slits 19 also permita similarmovement of the horirental band 17 with regard re the vertical;

band 20. The vertical band 20 near its two ends is provided on bothsides of each of said ends with angular notches 22, one side forming anobtuse angle with the side of the band, and the other side of the notchforming an acute angle with the side of-the band. The notches 22 thusform lateral pro jections on each side of each end of the lateralprojections 28, which are arranged to fit into inclined slots 24 locatednear the ends of the'horizontal band 17. Upon the top of the series ofbaskets which are situated adjacent to the bottom partition 15 there islocated a diaphragm 25 which has around its edge opposite each of theegg baskets a downwardly extending tongue 26 which is much narrower thanthe width of the horizontal band 17 so as to permit a considerabledegree of lateral movement of the egg basket. Upon the top of thediaphragm 25 there are supported a second series of egg baskets similarto those described as being supported upon the bottom partition 15 andfor the purpose of holding these baskets in proper position tongues 27extend upwardly from the edge of the diaphragm 25 into the egg basketssupported on the top of said diaphragm. "Upon the top of the secondseries of egg baskets there is a further diaphragm 28 constructed in thesame manner as the diaphragm 25 and on top of this diaphragm 28 there isa third series of egg baskets constructed in the same manner as the eggbaskets already described. Upon the top of the third series of eggbaskets there is a top partition 29 similar to the bottom plate 15,which top partition has a central opening 30 sufiiciently small to clamptogether the portions of the post 11 located between the slots 13 so asto tightly clamp the edges of all the horizontal bands 17 tightlytogether.

In the operation of myinvention when it is designed to send a dozen eggsin the egg container, which is the capacity of the egg container shownin the drawings but the capacity of which may be readily changedbychanging the size of the container, the central post 11 is drawn outand all of the parts removed from the post except the bottom partition15. The eggs are then placed in the individual egg baskets by removingthe projections 23 from the inclined slots 24: placing'the eggs in thebaskets, replacing the projections 23 in the slots 24, and slid ing theends of the horizontal bands 17 downwardly in the slots 13, until thefirst series of egg baskets has been filled with eggs. Thereafter thediaphragm '25 is placed upon this series of baskets; the

second series of egg baskets is filled in a similar manner; the nextdiaphragm 28 is placed on the top thereof, the third series of eggbaskets is filled in the same manner and the top plate 29' is forcedover the endof the post 11, thereby clamping together the ends of allthe egg baskets. The post 11 with the filled egg baskets is theninserted in the cylindrical shell 1 and the top cover 5 placed on top ofthe shell by causing the end of the post 11 to enter the central opening7 in the cushion 6 on the top cover. The cords 9 are then passed throughthe loops 10 and tied down. If desired, any sort of sealing means as forexample, sealing wax may be applied to the cords 9 and the cylindricalshell 1. It will thus be seen that in the construction described the eggbaskets are in the first place of such a character that they may yieldto varying'shapes of eggs, inasmuch as they have no fixed lateraldiameter and no fixed longitudinal diameter. Furthermore, the eggs arecapable ofa considerable degree of lateral movement owing to the narrowwidth ofthe'tongues 26 and 27. Furthermore, the vertical bands 20 arecapable of movement vertically with respect to the horizontal bands 17owing to the width of the notches 21 and the vertical bands 20 are alsocapable of lateral movement with respect to the horizontal bands 17owing to the length of the slits 19. At the same time the parts aremaintained within certain limits in a fixed relation owing to theclamping effect of the post 11 upon the ends of the horizontal bands 17the rigid vertical portions of the horizontal bands between the bottomplate 15 and the top plate 29, and the fact that the different partspermitting movement are arranged to limit the total movement permittedin each instance. 7

While I have described my invention above in detail, I wish it to beunderstood that many changes may be made therein without departing fromthespirit of my invention. I

I claim 1. An egg container comprisinga casing and a plurality of layersof individual egg sustaining basketstherein, said baskets beingindividually removable, and transverse partitions holding said layers inposition, said" baskets supporting the eggs spaced from each partitionand from the side walls of the casing.

2. An egg container comprising a cylindrical'casing having a horizontalsupport,"

supported adjacent ity of individually removable egg baskets therein,and means for removably securing each of said baskets directly to saidpost.

5. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slotand individual egg baskets supporting the eggs apart having bandsclamped in said slot.

6. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slotand egg baskets having bands clamped in said slot, and having otherbands secured in said first mentioned bands in positions at right anglesthereto.

7. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slot,individual egg baskets supporting the eggs apart having bands clamped insaid slot, the egg baskets being arranged in a plurality of layers anddiaphragms holding them in place.

8. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slot,egg baskets hav ing bands clamped in said slot, and having other bandsin a difierent plane therefrom secured in said first mentioned bands,the egg baskets being arranged in a plurality of layers and diaphragmsholding them in place.

9. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post havin a slotegg baskets having bands clampe in sai slot, the egg baskets beingarranged in a plurality of layers and diaphragms holding them in place,the diaphragms having tongues ex tending into the first mentioned bandsand being narrower than the space into which they extend.

10. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slot,egg baskets having bands clamped in said slot, and having other bandssecured in said first men tioned bands, adapted to engage the egg in adifferent plane therefrom, the egg baskets being arranged in a pluralityof layers and diaphragms holding them in place, the diaphragms havingtongues extending into the first mentioned bands and being narrower thanthe space into which they extend.

11. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slotand egg baskets having bands clamped in said slot,

and having other bands secured in said first mentioned bands formovement laterally and vertically in regard thereto.

12. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slot,egg bas kets having bands clamped in said slot, and having other bandssecured in said first mentioned bands for movement laterally andvertically in regard thereto, the egg baskets being arranged in aplurality of layers and diaphragms holding them in place.

13. An egg container, comprising a casing, a central post having a slot,egg baskets having bands clamped in said slot, and having other bandssecured in said first mentioned bands for movement laterally andvertically in regard thereto, the egg baskets being arranged in aplurality of layers and diaphragms holding them in place, the diaphragmshaving tongues extending into the first mentioned bands and beingnarrower than the space into which they extend.

14:. An egg container comprising a casing, a central post, individualegg baskets attached thereto supporting the eggs apart, and an inwardlybowed cushion maintaining the post and egg baskets in place.

15. An egg basket having flexible bands of sheet material extending atan angle to each other and adapted to be bent to engage the periphery ofan egg, and to support the egg between said bands, the ends of saidbands being provided with interengaging parts to hold them in position.

16. An egg basket comprising a band adapted to be bent to conformsubstantially to the shape of an egg, a second band of a similar naturelocated within said first mentioned band when the latter is so bent, andmeans for securing together the ends of said band whereby the secondband is adapted to support the egg spaced from the edges of the firstband.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

REINHARD BUCHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Yatents, Washington, I). C.

